Tag: Gov. Rick Snyder
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Commentary: The Flint water crisis criminal prosecution ends — landing another blow to the public trust
By Paul Rozycki What if the next winner of the Super Bowl was determined, not by players scoring touchdowns or field goals, but one team winning because of a referee’s ruling over someone being offside or taking too much time in the huddle? There would be an outcry that the game was decided by the…
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Effort to repeal State’s emergency manager law gains steam but is delayed by Flint City Council bickering
By Tom Travis An effort by Michigan Democrats to repeal Michigan’s much-contested emergency manager law hopes to gain strength through a resolution from Flint City Council (FCC). On Feb. 1, 2023, House Bill 4065 (H.B 4065) was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives, and if enacted would repeal the entirety of P.A. 436. At…
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Opinion: A new offense – water settlement objections denied by federal judge
By Rev. Deborah D Conrad A new offense has insulted Flint this week, in the form of a court ruling — this time from District Judge Judith Levy. At issue was the Flint Water Settlement, the financial compensation for the residents of this city of 90,000 poisoned by state action in 2014, finally acknowledged in…
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Seven years into water crisis, Flint’s “reputation for social justice” continues, as activists convene, declaring, “We don’t tolerate injustice and inhumanity.”
By Tom Travis “We have a reputation in Flint for social justice. The home of the Sit Down Strike, the first major city to institute open housing: We don’t tolerate injustice and inhumanity.” So declared water warrior and local activist Claire McClinton to a fully masked crowd of about 50 on Sunday — some standing,…
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“The weight of an entire community” — Mott Foundation execs describe what they’ve learned in “Focus on Flint,” what they worry about, and how they hope a targeted $1 million might help
By Harold C. Ford Editor’s note: The following is an interview with the C.S. Mott Foundation’s Ridgway White, CEO and president, and Kimberly Roberson, Flint area program director. Also present at the interview was Kathryn Thomas, vice president for communications. After release of a 24-page Focus on Flint report, available here, the Mott Foundation announced…
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Commentary: People’s health comes first–fighting the Lead and Copper Rule is shameful
[This op-ed was originally published in the Detroit Free Press; reprinted with permission] By Ridgway White The most important function of government is to protect the safety and well-being of citizens. That’s why it’s disheartening to learn some southeast Michigan cities and the utilities that serve them are trying to thwart Michigan’s new Lead and…
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“The state abandoned us long ago”: Activist Carma Lewis reacts to bottled water shutoff
By Jan Worth-Nelson The State of Michigan’s decision to stop supplying bottled water as of Friday the 13th “is crap,” community activist Carma Lewis said today, pausing at the Flint Farmers’ Market to reflect on the pending cutoff. “I’m not sure if the water is going to last till then,” she said. “They [the State]…
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Commentary: In Gov. Snyder’s RTAB decision on a tax lien moratorium, more than just finances are at stake
The following essay was written by Dr. Ben Pauli, Ph.D., an assistant professor of social science in the Department of Liberal Studies at Kettering University in Flint. Thanks to Chris Savage at Electablog, where this essay first appeared, for allowing us to reprint it. You can see the original here. In a special meeting on…
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Five indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges in Flint water crisis; sixth charged with obstruction
By Jan Worth-Nelson Charges of involuntary manslaughter related to the Flint water crisis have been slapped on five past or present state officials for their alleged “failure to act,” leading to deaths from the Legionnaires Disease outbreak of 2015. Highest ranking among the indicted was the state’s Director of the Michigan Department of Health and…
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Analysis: Packed Water Town Hall evokes spirit of ’76, ’36 as data pours in
by Harold C. Ford “…When you have a great violation of the people and there’s a great sense of injury…you have to give people an honorable means and context in which to express and eliminate that grief and speak decisively and succinctly back to the issue. Otherwise your movement will break down into chaos and…
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